THE NIGERIAN POLITICAL EXPERIENCE INTROSPECTION by Engineer Dauda A. Nuhu

Engineer Dauda A. Nuhu

Abstract

In 1979, a second republic was established as Nigerian leaders installed what they believed was a formidable and reliable democracy by way of the presidential system of governance. Prior to that year, the government had been in the hands of the military since the coup of 1966. Unfortunately, that was not to be, for after four years of party politics, the military returned. Indeed, the country has witnessed an endemic dismantling of democratic government by the military. One would have expected a “sane” system to correct the ills that have led to the collapse of each republic the country has had, but each attempt by the military or civilians leaves acutely desired outcomes. Nigerians at home and abroad, who have braced for the “fall” of the country due to its squandered potentials, have tactically entrenched their minds to secure their personal self, by whatever manner they deem possible. For some, leaving the shores of the Fatherland became inevitable, for others, staying in the country to “play ball” for survival have no better alternatives. This submission by the author is an obvious brief of the history of the Federal Republic of Nigeria the past 35 years, but the lesson here is embedded in the end for the reader.